Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-01-27
ONE woMAS's WORK.
She Establishes a Gymnasium in Boston d,
Women and Children.

Boston Letter in Evening Post
This evening there has been opensi
formally 70 the public new Gymnasium
building on the Back Bay land. 1t is :.
at the corner of St. Botolph and Garrison
streets, one block to tho left (going on.
of the immense building of the Massa.
chusetts Charitable Mechanic association
The enterprise is the result of small
beginning eight years ago by Miss Mary
+. Allen. After two years in one room
she moved to the old Armory hall on
Washington street, and now has succeed
ed so well that some wealthy people o,
the Back Bay and Brookline have been
incorporated with $4,000 capital, and
have erected the new building opened to
the public this evening. Its purpose d
TO provide the best physical training pos
tible, and il is open for women of all
ages, and for boys between the ages Of
six and fifteen.
Among the ineOrporators are Mr. Bar
tholda Schlesinger and DR.. William
Wesselhaeft, and the former is presiden;
of the corporation. Miss Allen leases
the building and has sole management Of
the enterprise. Many of her pupils come
from Brookline and elsewhere out OF tow.
One aim of the gymnasium is to furnsh
proper exercise for women. 1t is found
that they need it and are benefited by It
but that great obstacle in the way Of
their coming TO gymnasium has been
the fear that il would result in persona
injury. SO the exercise here is based On
the idea of reducing this objection to TIE
lowest point, and of giving careful super
vision to all the exercises. In coDse
quence of this care, the institution ha.
the approval of the physicians who are
familiar with its methods.
The building Is an unpretending brcA
structure, whose upper part is devoted to
the floor for general exercises, with all i
sorts OF apparatus about its sides. The
heavily -timbered roof gives an appear
ance of great strength. All around thsI
room is a gallery with seats in front fol
spectators of the exercises below and be
hind the seats Is q running track OF fell
and painted canvas on which twenty laps
make mile. The gymnasium is thor
oughly supplied with the best modern ap
paratus of all sorts. Not over sir minutes
are devoted to any one movement in the
exercise, and the whole lasts but one hour
1t is the aim of the management to de-
velop all the muscles symmetrically and
not to pay special attention to any one
exercise. For this reason, all specia
feats are outside of the systemati'
instruction. Miss Allen has herself de
signed one of the pieces of apparatus
which is intended to bring out play Of
muscles no. secured by any other move
ments. There are dumb bells, Indian
clubs, pulleys and weights of all sizes
from one pound upwards, swinging
rings, ladders, parallel bars vault
ing bars, giant weights and split
giant weights, a head machine
sand bags, hoops, and various other lie
vices to bring out all muscles of the bod!
and limbs. One feature of the training
for girls is that, interpreted through the
exercises are sets of fancy steps, some
thing like dancing steps, whose purpose
is to give better control of the feet and
more graceful poise of the body. 1t II
also part of a girls exercise to climb
up ladder to the gallery, run across t0l
one of the corners, and slide down pole
to the main floor again. This is probably
concession to the girls who object 70
giving up their banister exercise at home
The floor of the hall is maple and at one
end is high platform mounted by
piano, for nearly all the exercise is to
music. 1t proposed to use the hall in th'
evening for tennis court, for which it y
admirably adapted. II is 97x62 feet and
81 feet high in the center. There ar
fifty-two dressing rooms down stairs, Wit
sponge ba5h between every two. Their
are SIX bowling alleys down stairs also
seyenty-two feet in length, aud OF TIE
best finish. All the work in the gym.
nasium is done under the supervision o.
the persons in charge, and therein
its particular commentator for the cit!
people who have no home or outdoor
conveniences for exercise, and yet an
desirious of the best combination the!
can reach through their school and gym
nasiums.